Dalton vinyl plant to run 24 hours per day

Dalton vinyl plant to run 24 hours per day

IVC's Dalton production plant is where workers produce 1,000 rolls of vinyl flooring per day.

Photo by
Contributed Photo
/Times Free Press.

Vinyl flooring is booming in Dalton, Ga.

A Dalton vinyl flooring plant is upgrading its operation to seven days per week, 24 hours per day to meet demand for its fiberglass sheet vinyl flooring from six days per week currently.

The IVC US plant, home to the longest vinyl production line in the world, was built by Belgium-based IVC in 2011 at a cost of about $75 million. The company added a third shift in 2012 and a fourth shift -- running 24 hours per day -- in 2013.

"The fact that we are able to fully utilize our investment just three years after our startup to elevate our manufacturing operations to a 24/7 model I believe speaks volumes," said Xavier Steyaert, co-CEO of IVC US. "This could not have been accomplished without the meticulous dedication from our operations and manufacturing management teams and the tireless work and commitment from our entire IVC US staff."

The company now employs between 200 and 250 workers -- including sales and administrative workers at its Dalton headquarters -- and will hire more in order to run continuous operations, said Angelina Cebrian, marketing communications manager.

"We currently have open positions," Cebrian said.

IVC is riding the wave of increased customer demand for vinyl flooring, which looks more realistic than ever thanks to computer-assisted imaging and heat technology that allows the company to create lifelike wood and stone textures. In addition to its sheet vinyl plant in Dalton, IVC in 2012 opened a new luxury vinyl tile facility in Belgium, bought Balterio Laminate Flooring in 2013, and will break ground this year on a Dalton plant that it claims will be the largest in North America when complete.

"We challenge ourselves daily to maintain the high level of optimal manufacturing performance that enables us to produce the best resilient fiberglass sheet vinyl on the market," said Andrew Kearton, vice president of manufacturing, IVC US. "This standard principle and work ethic has greatly contributed to our current success and in our confidence to move forward in manufacturing our sheet vinyl 24-hours a day, seven days a week."